Ascert

06/27/2023

ASCERT RELEASES MAJOR SOFTWARE UPDATE
VersaTest 1.15 is available for general release.

The Ascert team has been working tirelessly to bring the latest software update for the VersaTest product. For performance improvements, feature updates, and interface modifications, we've taken our customer’s feedback and suggestions seriously to ensure the best user experience possible.

A major new feature of this release is adding support for SQL databases as a storage layer for the test model. Memory usage, startup time, and test editing concurrency are all improved by the SQL database layer.

Other notable features in the 1.15 release are:
• Two-way synchronization with GiT for external version control of the test model
• A new VersaTest job scheduler, allowing for easier routine maintenance and cleanup tasks.
• A revamped rolling log file, improving log retention handling and further improving startup time and reducing log contention
• Simplified and enhanced HTTPS configuration and improved web client resiliency

With 32-bit systems becoming less prevalent, the new release is now released as a 64-bit Java application, and compatible with Java 11 or later versions.
Probably the most significant enhancement to the software is the ability to connect to an external database. This allows for external storage of test runs, certifications, and other historical data necessary for audits or other periodic future reviews.

"With VersaTest now having the capability to use industry-standard databases, not only does it help expand our own functional capabilities, it also allows customers to use their own tools sets for managing their test environments,” said Simon Miles, Chief Software Architect.

VersaTest is recognized as the leading testing software for companies that need to ensure that their networks are always up and running to their greatest efficiencies and performance levels. Used by major financial institutions worldwide, VersaTest is easily integrated with DevOps configurations such as Jenkins, Azure CI, Circle CI, Bamboo, and many others, making it the most powerful and flexible message-based testing tool on the market today.

In addition to this major software update, VersaTest also provides certification and stress testing services both on-premises and via the company's popular cloud-based test system called Ascertified (www.ascertified.com). A growing number of companies have created a hybrid of both cloud and self-hosted options, increasing flexibility for both internal users and external partners.

To learn more about VersaTest, visit the Ascert website or contact a local Ascert office.

About Ascert:
Ascert is recognized as a leading provider of premier testing software solutions. Ascert was founded in 1992 to provide automated software testing solutions that help companies measure their mission-critical back-end servers and applications' performance, reliability, and scalability. With over 100 clients worldwide, Ascert's products and services are used at some of the world's most successful companies.
Off-the-shelf simulators for Ascert's VersaTest product include solutions for EFT testing, POS testing, stress testing, ATM testing, Fraud testing, IFX testing, EMV/chip card testing, ISO8583 testing, ISO 20022 testing, Faster Payments testing, and 3270 & 6530 terminal testing. Ascert's custom simulators have been used for testing air traffic control systems and biometric payment systems. Ascert delivers flexible solutions that are either customer site installed or accessed via Ascert's Remote Testing Services. Ascert's products assist testing professionals across industry segments to better manage their testing processes and environments through an end-to-end toolset.
For inquiries in the America's and Asia-Pacific:
Rich Greene
Ascert, LLC
180 Harbor Drive Suite 225
Sausalito, CA 94965, USA
Telephone: 1-415-339-8500
Toll Free:1-877-ASCERT-IT
Fax: 1-415-339-8501
E-mail: info(at)ascert.com
http://www.ascert.com

For inquiries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
Martin Travers
Ascert Limited
Telephone: +44 (20) 7488 3470
Fax: +44 (20) 7488 3477
E-mail: ukinfo(at)ascert.com
http://www.ascert.com

10/10/2022

Ascert Expands Relate to Offer Direct SQL and JDBC Access

Ascert expands Relate product family to offer direct SQL and JDBC access to Enscribe databases.

Sausalito, California, USA

Ascert’s newest Relate addition, Relate EnSQL, extends the capabilities of the Relate family of data maintenance products for the NonStop server. Relate allows users to easily query, manage, and compare Enscribe file data. Relate EnSQL extends these capabilities to meet the needs of enterprise environments by providing powerful data management functionality and advanced reporting capabilities. The new product solves many of the limitations inherent in the Enscribe flat file database by using standard SQL syntax for data access without having to replicate the data or intercept any API calls. Included in Relate EnSQL are a local command line interface (CLI) for use directly on the HPE NonStop system and JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) support for both local and remote Java client programs.

The command line interface provides comprehensive SQL syntax for querying Enscribe data directly in its file-based form, without needing to export it to an external SQL database. SQL queries are applied directly to the underlying Enscribe data, saving time, effort and cost. Such queries can be used to discover, analyze, and update file contents in place using standard SQL statements without additional data manipulation.

Relate EnSQL's JDBC support allows Java programs to query and update the Enscribe data also using standard Java tools and SQL syntax. The JDBC support includes access directly from Java programs running under the HPE NonStop OSS personality using NonStop Java, or remotely using Java on other platforms (such as Windows or Linux machines). The standard JDBC interface and syntax is supported regardless of whether clients are running locally on the HPE NonStop or remotely.

Developed by Ascert over two decades ago to meet the needs of a major U.S. bank, Relate rapidly became the leading product for the management of these Enscribe databases, with its “SQL-like” syntax. This new product, Relate EnSQL, developed for another major bank but this time in mainland Europe, raises the bar yet again. “We are pleased to make available this major expansion to our Relate product line with the addition of Relate EnSQL," says Andrew Mould, Managing Partner at Ascert. “Developers and database administrators not versed in Enscribe can now easily access that data with standard SQL commands using our new command line interface, accessible directly from the NonStop Server’s TACL shell. Relate EnSQL also includes a JDBC layer that provides standardized data access for remote client programs, allowing the data to be readily used by sophisticated third-party data maintenance, reporting, and visualization tools.”

To find out more about Relate EnSQL visit the Ascert website or contact a local Ascert office.

About Ascert:
Ascert is recognized as a leading provider of premier testing software solutions. Ascert was founded in 1992 to provide automated software testing solutions that help companies measure performance and reliability. With over 100 clients worldwide, Ascert's products and services are used at some of the world's most successful companies.

Off-the-shelf simulators for Ascert’s VersaTest product include solutions for EFT testing, POS testing, stress testing, ATM testing, Fraud testing, IFX testing, EMV/chip card testing, ISO8583 testing, ISO 20022 testing, Faster Payments testing, and 3270 & 6530 terminal testing. Ascert’s custom simulators have been used for testing air traffic control systems and biometric payment systems. Ascert delivers flexible solutions that are either customer site installed or accessed via Ascert’s Remote Testing Services. Ascert's products assist testing professionals across industry segments to better manage their testing processes and environments through an end-to-end toolset.

For inquiries in the America’s and Asia-Pacific:
Rich Greene
Ascert, LLC
180 Harbor Drive Suite 225
Sausalito, CA 94965, USA
Telephone: 1-415-339-8500
Toll Free:1-877-ASCERT-IT
E-mail: info(at)ascert.com
http://www.ascert.com

For inquiries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa:
Martin Travers
Ascert Limited
Telephone: +44 (20) 7488 3470
E-mail: ukinfo(at)ascert.com
http://www.ascert.com

Ascert builds best in class automated software testing solutions that help many of the world's biggest and best companies measure application performance, reliability and scalability.

03/15/2022

http://www.prweb.com/releases/2022/3/prweb18547348.htm
Ascert Expand CI Integration

The leading provider of automated software testing solutions for payments systems has expanded the integration of its premier testing platform into the most popular CI platforms.

Sausalito, California, USA March 15, 2022

VersaTest CI ModulesAs companies transition from older methods of overnight batch testing to a Continuous Integration (CI) model, Ascert continues to lead the market with its payments testing technology. Seamless access to message-based tests and their results is now possible in the most commonly used CI platforms such as Bamboo, Jenkins, Team City, Azure, Gitlab CI, thanks to Ascert’s VersaTest product set. This approach allows for faster testing, better reliability, greater visibility of success and failure points, and ultimately increased customer satisfaction.

“We felt it important to develop a methodology that easily allows companies to utilize their existing VersaTest testing solutions into whatever CI stream their corporate policies mandated. Our first deployment was through a Jenkins plug-in. This has now evolved into a range of tool and platform-agnostic modules which support virtually any CI tool chain within the VersaTest ecosystem” said Simon Miles, VersaTest’s Chief Software Architect.

The VersaTest CI integration modules can be easily incorporated by clients, or via an Ascert assisted project.

In addition to message and interface testing with CI tool support, VersaTest also provides certification and stress testing services both on-premises and via the company’s popular cloud-based test system called Ascertified (www.ascertified.com). A growing number of companies have created a hybrid of both cloud and self-hosted options, increasing flexibility for both internal users and external partners.

To find out more about VersaTest visit the Ascert website or contact a local Ascert office.

About Ascert:
Ascert is recognized as a leading provider of premier testing software solutions. Ascert was founded in 1992 to provide automated software testing solutions that help companies measure the performance, reliability, and scalability of their mission-critical back-end servers and applications. With over 100 clients worldwide, Ascert's products and services are used at some of the world's most successful companies.

Off-the-shelf simulators for Ascert’s VersaTest product include solutions for EFT testing, POS testing, stress testing, ATM testing, Fraud testing, IFX testing, EMV/chip card testing, ISO8583 testing, ISO 20022 testing, Faster Payments testing, and 3270 & 6530 terminal testing. Ascert’s custom simulators have been used for testing air traffic control systems and biometric payment systems. Ascert delivers flexible solutions that are either customer site installed or accessed via Ascert’s Remote Testing Services. Ascert's products assist testing professionals across industry segments to better manage their testing processes and environments through an end-to-end toolset.

For inquiries in the America’s and Asia-Pacific:
Rich Greene
Ascert, LLC
180 Harbor Drive Suite 225
Sausalito, CA 94965, USA
Telephone: 1-415-339-8500
Toll Free:1-877-ASCERT-IT
Fax: 1-415-339-8501
E-mail: info(at)ascert.com
http://www.ascert.com

For inquiries in Europe, Middle East, and Africa:
Martin Traves
Ascert Limited
Telephone: +44 (20) 7488 3470
Fax: +44 (20) 7488 3477
E-mail: ukinfo(at)ascert.com
http://www.ascert.com

03/29/2019

Ascert becomes a Founding Member of the U.S. Faster Payments Council to support advancement of Faster Payments in North America

In an ideal world, payment transactions would be as seamless and transparent to end users as mobile texting, but the complexities of the U.S. payments system — involving thousands of financial institutions, hundreds of nonbank payment service providers, and millions of individuals and businesses — make that challenging.

The U.S. Faster Payments Council (FPC) is a new, widely anticipated payments organization whose goal is a world-class payment system, where Americans can safely and securely pay anyone, anywhere, at any time and with near-immediate funds availability. By design, the FPC encourages a diverse range of perspectives and is open to all stakeholders in the U.S. payment system.

As a forum for dialogue and problem-solving, the FPC tackles issues that inhibit adoption of faster payments by offering tools and recommendations that support the broader good while respecting members’ competitive or internal business practices.

Ascert has been supporting Faster Payments Service (FPS) since before its original launch in 2008 for its UK service. Before the 2008 UK launch, Ascert developed the first self-certification simulator for FPS which was used by all the initial members of the interchange to conduct their pre-launch testing. Now,Ascert is excited to bring our wealth of experience to the U.S. Faster Payments Council

To learn more about Ascert's experience with Faster Payments or if you’re designing the next set of faster payments rails visit https://testing.ascert.com/faster-payments.html or contact us at (415) 339-8500 and let Ascert be your guide.

01/07/2019

***News Release: Ascert Releases Visa-Confirmed Driver
For companies that want to do pre-certification testing for Visa transactions, Ascert has released the latest version of its Visa Test Driver.

The VersaTest Visa Driver is now listed by Visa as a validated ADVT Online Host simulator and has been tested to ensure that it conforms to the most recent set of Visa specifications. This can be an extreme time saver in pre-certification or ongoing system testing.

“We are very pleased that Visa has officially confirmed the capabilities of our latest Visa driver,” said Mike Wainwright, Business Development Director, Ascert UK. “This provides additional certainty for our customers when simulating and testing Visa transactions that their systems are operating accurately.”

Read the full press release at: https://testing.ascert.com/news/ascert-releases-visa-confirmed-driver

12/17/2018

Modern Test Automation for Legacy Applications
-Green Screen, in 2018, seriously?
​It's hard to say what is most surprising. To be sitting in the last throes of 2018, writing an article about green screen applications. Or to have recently found myself deep in the bowels of 3270 and 6530 terminal data streams writing code to automate the testing of them. More accurately, that should really read 'porting code' - since my firm, Ascert, has had a TAL screen handling and testing library since I first joined (and worked on it) back in 1997. Even then, I think most of us assumed it was the last chance saloon for a technology that would soon go the way of the dinosaurs, disco, and flares. But time and the future makes fools of us all I guess. Especially those whose predictions of the death of the mainframe have proved somewhere between premature and wildly inaccurate...Read the complete article at: https://testing.ascert.com/news/modern-test-automation-for-legacy-applications

11/09/2017

Mobile payments soar 300% as part of the contactless revolution - http://bit.ly/2hYBLC1

As the recently launched iPhone X makes mobile payments even easier with Face ID, MoneySuperMarket reveals that a quarter (23%) of Generation Z predicts

10/20/2017

Next instalment - one of my most enjoyable days on the whole of , but not an easy or short one to write up!

https://www.justkeeppedalling.com/2017/08/tcr-no-5-day-4.html


William's Bike Shop Ascert
Panthera Africa Big Cat Sanctuary Die Herberg Kinderhuis, Robertson

3am sees me padding around another sleeping hotel – breakfast has been left out at reception as promised, although it takes me a few moments to figure out the latch on the low wooden door to …

10/05/2017

Ascert Releases Version 2.0 of VersaTest Green Screen Driver -

The latest update to Ascert’s VTERM product adds significant automation to the process of testing green screen 6530 & 3270 applications

09/26/2017

Wow! This is pretty cool technology. What do you think? Is this a good step to avoid CC fraud from stolen cards? - http://bit.ly/2xCWnIo

OT-Morpho says that Chinese bank CMBC’s new Visa Signature credit card is the first one in China to feature MOTION CODE dynamic CVV2

09/12/2017

Ascert Releases an Updated LIS5 Driver for Mobile eCommerce Testing -

Sausalito, CA (PRWEB) September 12, 2017 -- Building on its robust library of interface simulations, Ascert makes available a cloud-based version of its UK Link LIS5 simulator.